This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the presently described embodiments. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In order to meet consumer and industrial demand for natural resources, companies often invest significant amounts of time and money in finding and extracting oil, natural gas, and other subterranean resources from the earth. Particularly, once desired subterranean resources such as oil or natural gas are discovered, drilling and production systems are often used to access and extract the resources. These systems may be located onshore or offshore depending on the locations of the desired resources. And once extracted, the resources are often transported via pipelines to desired locations, such as refineries. The pipelines typically include valves to control the flow of resources through the pipelines.
As may be appreciated, valves include a flow control mechanism for selectively allowing flow through the valves. For instance, a ball valve includes a ball that may be rotated between open and closed positions to allow or inhibit flow through a conduit. A gate valve similarly includes a sliding gate having an aperture that may be moved into and out of alignment with the bore of a conduit to allow or inhibit flow. Regardless of the type, a valve usually includes one or more sealing surfaces that inhibit leaking of fluid. But in some instances these sealing surfaces may collect particles from the fluid flowing through the valve, reducing sealing effectiveness and longevity. Damage to seals and sealing surfaces also negatively impact sealing performance of the valve. And while valves may be operated in harsh conditions (e.g., high operating pressure or with significant external forces), these conditions have the potential to cause valves to separate from conduits and leak.